The Ace of Hearts
by TapWater
Summary: It's 5 months after Sam has made his decision to stay in 1973 and he is still being haunted by Test Card F girl. And on top of that, the team are dealing with a cop killer. But one of Gene's mistakes gets Sam into serious trouble.
1. Sunken Dream

Disclaimer: I do not own Life on Mars or any of the characters, they belong to Kudos & BBC :)

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Sam stepped through the darkness, not sure what he would find. His feet were starting to hurt and his head was thumping. He waved his hand infront of his eyes but the black emptiness was surrounding him like a thick blanket, making it barely possible to see anything. He rubbed his eyes, starting to feel quite tired. As he took his hands away from is face, it took a while for Sam's eyes to get adjusted again but as they did he jumped as a bright light appeared in front of him. "I thought you had gone away!" he screamed in shock. The test card girl stared at him blankly.

"You thought wrong, Sam. Now, that's not like you," she mocked, holding her clown in the usual awkward way.

"Why can't you leave me alone?" Sam replied, getting angry at the girl's comment.

"If you keep your thoughts to yourself, Sam, it's going to get you into serious trouble," she said in her usual calm way. This annoyed Sam. Why was she always so cool and laid back? And why did she always ignore what ever you said to her?

"Just piss off! You had left my life for good, why return? It's not like you're needed anymore!" he retorted. "And what the hell do you mean by get me into trouble?"

The girl lifted her hand up like a gun. "The darkness is coming for you, Sam!"

"What?" he asked, confused.

"BANG!"

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There was a loud crash as Gene Hunt smashed down the door. "Wake up, Sammy Boy!" he said, throwing the sheets off of his DI.

"Bloody hell," Sam said, waking up in a cold sweat. "What is it this time?"

"A body's been fished out of a lake and it's our job to find out what happened." Gene said. "Oh by the way, you need to get that bloody door fixed!"

Sam clambered out of bed, frustrated. "I have! But you just keep breaking it again!"

Gene stared at how pale Sam was. "Nightmare or summit'?"

"Yeah, actually," Sam groaned, pulling on his jacket and heading out of the now non-existant door with Gene. "So where's this lake to then?"

"A reservoir on Hyde Road. Perhaps you'll sneak off and run home while we're there, Sammy!" Gene smirked.

"I don't belong there any more, this is my home now," Sam replied, thinking about the incident with Frank Morgan a few months earlier. And anyway, he really did belong there. He'd grown to like everyone he'd met in CID, he didn't even mind Ray any more either. Even though they'd still have the occasional fight. And then there was Annie, who he had loved since the moment he first laid eyes on her. And now he knew that she felt the same way. Even though deep down, he always knew how she had felt towards him.

"Oi, Pansy!" Gene shouted, walking briskly out onto the street. "Stop day dreaming and get in the bloody car!"

Sam opened the door and flung himslelf into the passenger seat. He turned and looked behind him. Chris, Ray and Annie were all bunched together in the back.

"Eh, boss," Chris smiled. "Like me new shoes?"

Sam looked down at the shiny white loafers. "Very nice, mate." Sam grinned at how similar they were to Gene's pair.

"Oi, Guv! You getting in or what? My arse is going numb 'ere!" Ray groaned.

"I was just finding my ruddy keys!" he replied, plonking himself in the driver's seat and starting the engine.

"Do you really have to drive so fast, sir?" Annie asked, starting to look ill.

"Do you want to get there or not, Cartwright?" Gene said, putting his foot down even harder, just to wind her up.

"We'll get there eventually, Guv. Whether you drive like a bloody lunatic or not!" Sam stated. Gene stared at him.

"Shut up, Gladdis!" he replied, paying no attention to what was in front of him.

"Watch out, Gene!" Sam yelled. Gene turned his head to look forward. The tyres screeched as the car violently swerved, narrowly missing a small boy.

"Keep your eyes on the bloody road will you?" Sam yelled.

"At least you're not driving," Gene commented. "You drive like..." he started but Sam butted in.

"Your Aunt Mabel? Yes I know, you've told me enough times."

"Be quiet, Samuel!"

"Well stop driving like you're on crack then!"

"Well stop being such a nonsy, fairy boy then!"

"You're unbelievable, you know that?"

"You're a tart, you know that?"

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"Oi! Bloody well move, will you?" Gene yelled at the journalists that were now swarming the scene. He barged past them, letting his team follow behind. "Now, keep close and don't speak to those bastards, 'kay? Other wise, I'll bite your bleeding todger off."

Annie stared at him.

"Well obviously not you, Cartwright. Unless you've got something you'd like to tell us?" Gene asked, a cheeky grin on his face. Annie tutted and shook her head.

"Right Let's move shall we?" Gene said.

As they moved closer to the pontoon, Sam spotted what they had come for. In the middle of a group of uniformed officers was a a white sheet, covering up some poor soul's body. This part of the job was by far his least favourite.

Gene strolled up to the body and pulled the sheet back, revealing a young man in his twenties. Sam recognised his face from somewhere.

"Eh, Guv. Ain't that one of the plods from the station?" questioned Ray. Gene remained silent as he bent down over the young lad. Sam knelt down beside him.

"Well it wasn't an accident," he said, pointing to the rope that was bound around the victim's wrists and ankles.

"I've just a word with one of the uniformed officers," Annie said, joining Sam and Gene. "They said a bloke walking his dog found him tied to the edge of the pontoon."

"Definately not an accident," said Sam. "Unless he manged to tie his hands and feet up whilst he was drowning, which I think is highly unlikely."

Gene picked up the boy's hands to take a closer look at what they were bound with. The rope was fraying at the edges where it had to be sliced in half, in an attempt to detatch him from what he was tied to. As Gene held the lad's wrists, he noticed something tucked under the rope. He started to panic, hoping it wasn't what he thought it was. He slid the object from under the rope and stared at it. His heart missed a beat.

Sam stared at his DCI. "Guv?" he asked. Gene's face remained expressionless.

For the first time in years, Gene was speechless. But after a few seconds staring into space, something managed to fall out of his mouth. "Oh bollocks."


	2. Blackout

Hello, everyone! Thanks for your reviews, I really do appreciate them. I hope you enjoyed the last chapter and I'm sorry this one took so long. It was just a lot harder to write. But I hope it's okay and you enjoy. The next chapter should be up soon hopefully. Keep your comments coming and thanks for reading :)

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Gene twiddled with the playing card that was being protected by the plastic evidence bag."He was a cop killer, Sam." He sighed, sitting down in the chair in his office.

Sam sat himself down on the chair opposite, listening intently.

"It was Christmas Eve, 1967 when the first body turned up," Gene continued. "We pulled the body out of the canal, only to find that it was one of our officers. The another one appeared. And another. All in all, 5 cops were killed. 1 from here in A Division and 2 more officers from downstairs. And each time, our killer left a little gift." Gene waved the bag he was holding. "The ace of hearts."

"3 officers were lost from this station?" Sam asked, shocked.

"Yeah. And we never caught the bastard. God, I'd love to rip off his testicles and feed them to my dog," Gene said, an angry look in his eyes. He reached down deep in his pockets and found a cigarette. He placed it in his mouth and started lighting it. "I thought the scumbag had disappeared but now he's back."

Sam breathed in deeply, inhaling Gene's smoke, making him cough. God, he hated cigarettes. "It could be a copy-cat killing." he suggested.

Gene shrugged. "I hate the rodent, whether he's a copy-cat or not. We need to find the sod and lock him up for good. All cop killers frighten me, it means my team is in danger and that pisses me off, Sam." He stood up and threw his jacket on, heading towards the door.

"Where are you off?" Sam asked, standing up next to him.

"Beer o' clock," Gene answered, looking at his watch. "You joining me?"

"I suppose I should," he smiled, following Gene out of the door.

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Annie jumped in shock as she rounded the corner, walking straight into Sam.

"I didn't see you there," she smiled. "Where are you going?"

"Pub," Gene said sharply, as if he deperately wanted to get out.

"Go ahead, Guv. I'll catch up with you later," Sam said.

"Oh thank God!" he said, walking away. "I'll leave you two lovebirds alone."

Sam tutted and smiled as Gene walked out of the room. "So," he said.

"So," Annie smiled back at him. Sam grinned, his head starting moving forward, getting closer and closer to Annie. Without knowing it, she started leaning in as well, until finally their lips met. They shared short but passionate kiss. Annie's fingers tenderly stroked Sam's cheeks and he softly ran his hands through her hair. As they pulled away from each other, Sam gave Annie a cheeky schoolboy grin."Annie?" he said.

"Yeah, Sam," she smiled.

"Now that we're, well, you know...urm..." he struggled. "Well, do you want to come on a date with me?"

Annie's face lit up. "Of course I do."

Sam smiled back at her, a wave of relief hitting him. He was glad that she didn't think he was an idiot. Or maybe she did and he just didn't know it yet.

"We'd better leave before Gene jumps to conclusions and starts accusing us of stuff," she laughed.

"That's a good point," he replied, a smirk on his face.

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"Ahhh, here come Romeo and Juliet," announced Gene as Sam and Annie walked through the doors of the Railway Arms. "So, what have you two been up to? Juicy details only please."

"Oh shut up will you? You've only been here two minutes longer than us," Sam replied, sitting down on a spare seat.

"Woah, wait a minute!" Gene cried.

"What?" Sam asked.

"You can buy me a drink!" he protested.

"What the bloody hell for?"

"Being late!"

"You tight bastard," Sam muttered as he walked up to the bar. He was in a good mood so he didn't object to buying Gene's drink. And he knew exactly what he wanted.

"Whiskey chaser please, Nelson."

"Comin' right up, boss," he replied, getting a glass and pouring malt into it.

"Here you go, keep the change," Sam said, taking the glass off of the counter.

"Ahhh, come to papa," said Gene, reaching his arms out to grab his whiskey. "Cheers, Sammy boy."

"You owe me money," Sam said, sitting down. Gene took a sip from his whiskey.

"Nonsense."

Sam smiled, starting to feel thirsty himself now. But out of the blue, a blinding pain shot through his body. "Oh God!" he rasped, his voice fading.

"Sam?" Gene asked, wondering what the hell he was doing.

"I can't see," he struggled to get the words out of his mouth, his breathing getting desperate. And he no longer had any vision, everything had gone black.

"Sam, are you okay?" Annie asked, coming over from the other table. But Sam couldn't answer. He could hear her words but nothing would come out of his mouth. He was just walking through a dark open space, full of nothing. He just kept walking through the emptiness. His head was thumping like it had been in his previous dream. And then he spotted it. The bright light at the end of what seemed to be a tunnel. Sam picked up his pace a little and started to run down the tunnel, even though his feet were throbbing with pain, like they had been earlier. He didn't even know why he was running, there was no point. The end of the tunnel just kept getting further away. And he didn't really need to get to the end anyway, he was just wondering why this was happening to him. Why now? He had settled down after the events that had happened a few months ago. Why did this have to happen?

Gene and Annie's voices had vanished from his head now, there was just silence. He had been walking for about 5 minutes and still, there was nothing. Until the voice that he hated so much appeared in the back of his head.

"Are you lost, Sam?" she asked. He quickly turned around to see the test card girl standing in front of him.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" he cried.

"I'm only trying to protect you, Sam. Remember, I'm your friend," she smiled. And the sad thing was that she was right. In a weird way, she had really become a friend to him.

"But I had gotten rid of my previous life, this is where I want to be now."

"Who said I was part of your previous life, Sam? I am that voice that you've always had in the back of your head. But now you're inside of your own mind, you can see me. And I will always look after you, Sam."

"Well let me get back then, let me wake up. Why do I keep getting these dreams?"

"I've told you before, Sam. The darkness is coming." she warned. "Don't let it get you."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"You're going to get into trouble soon. Serious trouble. Doing something that you know is wrong. It will be up to others to save you." she said.

"What is this all about?" he questioned, feeling confused.

"Wake up, Sam!" she called.

"What?" he asked. He started to rub his eyes, wondering whether he could actually see properly anymore. As he opened them, he was blinded by the white light that had suddenly become a lot brighter.

"Wake up!" there was a soft calling in his ears. But the test card girl's voice had been replaced by Annie's calm tone. Sam could feel himself slipping out of the tunnel. It was a weird feeling, like someone was pulling him backwards at the speed of light. When the sensation was all over, he opened his eyes to be greeted by two blurry figures.

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"Oooh look! He's coming back from Planet Zog!" Gene commented as Sam's eyes fluttered open. Although he was actually quite relieved to see his friend's eyes opening. No matter how rough he looked.

"Here, drink this," said Annie, offering Sam a glass of water. He took a huge mouthful, savouring the cool sensation in his parched mouth.

"What the hell happened?" Sam asked, his throat in tatters.

"You started feeling faint in the pub. And then you collapsed on Gene," she said, trying to sound serious through her laughter.

"Yeah, what the bloody hell was that for?" Gene joked.

"Oh God," Sam moaned. "I didn't make a scene did I?"

"Well, Ray found it amusing," Annie said. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," he reassured her. "How the hell did you get me here?" he asked, only just realising that he was in his flat.

"We had to bundle you into Gene's car," Annie smiled, sitting herself down on the edge of the bed.

"Yeah, bloody suspicious that looked an' all!" he grunted. Sam started to cough, his face was pale and his skin was pasty. "Bleedin' hell, you look as rough as a dog's arse!"

"Do you want to get some sleep now?" Annie said, placing her hand on Sam's shoulder. He really didn't want to go to sleep, he was too afraid. But at the same time, he knew that would be best. His eyelids became heavy all of a sudden and he realised how tired he really was.

"I'll stay here with you for a bit," Annie offered.

"Wait a minute, Cartwright. Don't be getting up to no monkey business," Gene said, standing up and pulling his coat on.

"Oh shut up, Gene," Sam mumbled, his eyelids already shut.

"Well I'll be off then," he said, heading for the door. "But remember, I am not being no God damn nanny to no God damn kid. So you two be careful." he mocked.

"Just piss off and let me sleep," Sam grumbled.

"Fine," said Gene, heading out of the doorway. "But I did warn you."


	3. Back To Work

I'm really sorry that this took so long to write, guys. I needed to get into the right mood to write it. And I know it's not the greatest chapter and it's extemely short but it's going to have to do. Well, until the storyline picks up. Anyway, thanks for your support and like I said before, your reviews really do help. Keep on sending them in, 'cus they are love :)Well thankies, and I hope you enjoy. Next chapter should be up shortly. But I am truly sorry if it isn't, been suffering from writer's block recently :(

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Annie was awoken by shuffling next to her. She opened her eyes to see Sam struggling to get the duvet off of himself. She had stayed virgil by his side all night, dropping off occaisionally when she could no longer keep her eyes open.

"Hey," she smiled, helping him to take the covers off.

"Oh, hi," he croaked, only just realising that Annie was beside him. "Have you been here all night?" he asked.

"Yeah, you gave us a scare yesterday. I wanted to make sure you were okay," she smiled.

"You didn't have to do that," he replied. But deep down, he was actually quite pleased she was there.

"I rang in and said you weren't going into work today," she said.

"What? Why?" he asked, sitting himself up straight.

"Well, I thought that you weren't going to be feeling well enough," she replied.

"I'm okay, really I am," he said, pulling himself out of bed.

"You sure?" Annie asked, helping him.

"Yeah. What good will staying in this flat do, anyway?" he asked.

"I suppose," she answered. Sam pulled his t-shirt over his head and changed his trousers. "Here you go," Annie said, holding out his jacket.

"Thanks," he said, slipping on his shoes and grabbing the jacket from Annie's hands.

"Why the rush?" she asked.

"I'm not rushing it's just I'm already late," he replied, heading out of the door.

"It doesn't matter, they aren't expecting you anyway," she said, following him. "And don't you want breakfast?"

"I don't do breakfast," he smiled.

"Why are you so eager to get to work?" she laughed.

"I don't want Gene cocking up this case," he said. "He's desperate to catch this killer but he's going to rush into it and mess something up. I know it."

"Just don't go working too hard today, take it easy. Okay?" she said.

"I promise," he answered, heading down the stairs.

"You still don't sound very well," she said, concerned. She started following him down the staircase. "Slow down a minute!"

Sam stopped at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for Annie to catch up. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine!" he answered.

"I just don't want you fainting on us again, eh?" Annie smiled. She reached her arm out and placed her palm on Sam's forehead. "You've got a temperature," she sighed. Sam lifted his arm and placed Annie's hand in his, rubbing it gently.

"I'm okay," he reassured her. She started blushing.

"I just care about you, that's all," she smiled.

Sam took her hand in his. "I know you do."

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"Sir? I thought you weren't coming in today," Chris said, a completely baffled look on his face.

"Change of heart, Chris," Sam replied, making his way towards Gene's office. He knocked on the door, waiting for a reply.

"Who is it?" a grumpy voice called out.

"Sam," he answered. There was a pause and the sound of Gene's footsteps coming towards him.

"I thought you were staying home today?" he asked, opening the door. How many times was Sam going to have to hear that question today?

"I wanted to come in, Guv. Help you out,"

"What makes you think I need help from you?"

"Be like that then. Just don't come crying to me when you get stuck," Sam said, walking away.

"Fine then, come in if you want," Gene said, a pang of guilt hitting him. "Anyway, what was wrong with you last night?" he asked, sitting down behind his desk.

"Honestly, I have no idea. I just hope it doesn't happen again," Sam answered, sitting down in the chair opposite Gene. "Look," Sam said, trying to change the subject. "You know the last time this happened, did you get close to finding out who did this or not?"

Gene shook his head. "Nope. And the only thing he left behind was that damn playing card. He made sure he didn't leave any prints or clues. Bloody arsehole."

"And what if this was a copy-cat killing? Or it could even be a one-off. Something that he didn't finish last time," Sam suggested.

Gene shrugged, taking a packet of cigarettes from his pocket. "I dunno what to do, Sam. This bloke, who ever he is, he's damn good. And if he is a copy-cat, he's a bloody smart one. Too smart for us"

"Don't say that, we can get him," Sam coughed. "And put that bloody cigarette out!"

"Why?" Gene asked grumpily.

"It's a disgusting habit and it makes me feel ill," Sam replied, putting on a sarcastic smile.

"Bloody nancy," Gene said, taking a huge drag and blowing it all over Sam. There was a knock at the door. Gene grumbled again. "Come in!"

Phyllis appeared at the door. "Sir..." she started.

"Phyllis, unless it's something highly important that can't wait another second, you can go away," Gene moaned.

She sighed. "Another body has turned up."


	4. The Plan

This chapter is tiny, I know. But the next one is really quite long and an awful lot better. I finally have everything planned out now so as long as I'm not lazy then things should flow smoothly from now on :) Thanks for all of your reviews, I really do take them to heart. Hope you enjoy xoxo

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Sam stared at the dead body that lay on the floor. It really did take a sick person to do this, going around and killing the people who were supposed to be protecting you and the city you lived in. The body was a woman, blonde hair and blue eyes that were now cloudy and distant. Her hands were tied together so tight that her wrists were bleeding. And underneath the rope was an ace of hearts.

Gene bent down to take a look at her face. He looked a long breath and sighed. "Been missing for three days this one. A WDC from another division."

"Why did he kill her in the same place as the last one?" Ray questioned, looking at his surroundings. "There was no connection to this place last time."

"Perhaps it _is _a copy-cat then," Sam said.

"I don't care who the bloody hell it is, I just want him caught and put away," Gene scowled, kicking the dusty floor.

"Sir, what are these?" Annie questioned, looking down at the floor.

"They're footprints," Chris replied, a smug look on his face.

"Oh wow, give the man a promotion. Chris you're amazing," Gene commented in a a sarcastic tone.

"But look at the colour of the mud," Sam pointed out, leaning in for a closer look. "It's like a reddish colour, different to the earth around here."

"And why is that special?" Ray asked, cigarette danging from his mouth.

"They might be important. They could lead us to whoever did this," Sam answered. Ray grunted.

"Well, Dorothy. Hurry up and collect those prints. This place creeps me out," Gene said. He looked at the mist that was starting to cover the water. Reservoirs freaked him out, he had no idea why. And this one was one particularly chilling.

As Gene stood still watching his DI rolling the prints onto a piece of cloth, he realised how damn cold it was. "Bloody well get a move on!" he moaned.

"I'm done!" Sam retorted, standing up.

"Okay, we finished here now?" Gene grumbled. "Or do I have to stand here all night with my bollocks dropping off?"

"No, I think we're done," Sam said, wrapping his arms around himself in an attempt to protect him from the cold.

"Right!" Gene called to a group of PCs and a pathologist. "You get his body off the morgue, I'm gunna drink my own body weight in whiskey ."

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"Guv!" Phyllis called as Gene passed her desk.

"What is it this time?" he asked, taking a swig from his flask.

"I nipped off to the loo, two minutes I was. When I came back, this were waiting for me." She handed him a piece of paper.

"What does it say?" Sam questioned, joining Gene. But he didn't reply, he was too concerned with reading the note for himself. It wasn't the easiest to read either. It was made out of scraps of newspaper which were all peeling off. Sam pulled the note closer so he could read it for himself.

_**More will die. That's a promise. Come looking for me and you'll regret it.**_

That note sent shivers down Sam's spine.

"Bastard," Gene muttered. "When I find him, I'll bash his bloody head against a wall." And with that, he walked away, leaving Sam to think.

"Guv! Come back. I've got an idea," he called.

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"Stakeout," Sam announced. The group just stared at him with blank faces.

"Is that a sandwich?" Chris asked.

"Do you remember that bit of surveillance we did before?" Sam questioned, sighing.

"Ooh, I'm up for a bit more of that," Gene smirked.

"Look, all we have to do is wait in the car until our man turns up," Sam said.

"Then nick 'im," Ray added.

"Well..." Sam started.

"Exactly," Gene said.

"Sir, what if he's expecting us to do something like this?" Annie asked. Sam hadn't actually thought of that.

"We're going along with it, Cartwright. It's a good plan," Gene replied. "Even if it was the boy wonder who thought of it."

.


	5. Silence

Right, I hope you enjoy this chapter. It took a while. This is where things start kicking off. So rate, review & enjoy :)

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"What is that bloody smell?" Gene asked.

"Sorry, Guv. I 'ad garlic earlier," Ray answered, burping several times.

"Why is it that every time I'm in a car with you, the whole place gets stinked out?" Gene said, holding his nose. Sam was just about to complain about the smell until he heard the rumble of a car.

"Shhh! I can hear something," he said. "Everyone get down a minute."

"It would be easier if Cartwright's tits weren't so big," Ray said, struggling to get down between Chris and Annie.

"Why are we getting down anyway? There are bloody great trees infront of us!" Gene moaned.

"Just stay down will you? I'm seeing who this is," Sam said, trying to look out of the window without making himself obvious.

"What can you see?" Gene asked.

"Nothing, I... wait a minute, there's a car pulling up," he said, ducking down. Everything went silent.

"Well?" said Ray.

"I can't see anything," Sam replied, slowly creeping upwards to look out of the window. "Wait, there's someone getting out of the car. It's... it's a women."

"And?" Gene asked.

"I can't see properly, it's too dark. Hang on...oh. She's walking a small fluffy dog," He replied, sliding down in his seat.

"I think we should nick 'em. How about you, Sammy boy? They might hurt someone," Gene smirked.

"Who walks their dog at 5 o' clock in the morning?" Annie questioned.

"Perhaps she's nocturnal," Gene replied.

"How long are we going to have to sit here before anything happens?" Ray groaned.

"Look, you wanted to do this so you're going to have to sit it out. You never know, they might not even turn up. But we have to make sure," Sam answered. The whole car went quiet for a few minutes.

"Oi," Gene said, breaking the silence. "Our nocturnal bird is leaving."

"Guv, there's another car coming," Chris said, looking at of his window.

"Stay down low," Sam added.

"They're coming close," Annie said. The headlights of the other car were bathing the Cortina in a white light.

"I can't get down!" Gene said, scuffling with his coat.

"You're gunna have to," Sam replied.

"I can't. There's a steering wheel in my way!" Gene grumbled. And without thinking Sam grabbed Gene and pulled him down onto his lap.

"What the bloody hell are you..." Gene started but got cut off by Sam covering up his mouth with the palm of his hand.

Everyone remained silent as the other car pulled up. Sam lifted his head slightly to see what was going on. There was a man opening the boot and pulling something out.

"Sir what's goin' on?" Chris asked, raising his head.

"Chris, get down! He's going to spot you," Sam quietly snapped. He turned back around to look out of the window. "If he goes around to the front of the car then the trees won't be in our way anymore, and he'll see us."

"Is this who we've been waiting for then?" Gene asked.

"I dunno, he's getting something out of the boot though. I think it might be a person," Sam answered.

"Well we need to get out there then," Gene said getting up.

"We can't," Sam said, pulling Gene back down. "We don't know this is our killer. And if it is, then going out there would be a dangerous idea." Sam glanced back over at the other car. It _was_ a person he was dragging out of the boot. Sam was tempted to get out right now and help whoever was in trouble, but he knew that would probably only make matters worse. Sam kept his eyes on the man as he walked around his car. But then he paused for a moment, looking directly at Sam, and started bundling his vicitm back into the car.

"Shit, I think he's seen us," Sam whispered.

"You what?" Gene asked.

"He's leaving, we're gunna have to follow him," Sam announced.

"So this is definately our guy?" Gene asked.

"Definately," Sam replied.

"And by the way, Sammy boy. If you ever force me to have my head buried in your crotch ever again, I will kill you," Gene scowled.

"It was your fault," Sam grinned. "Anyway," he coughed. "He's pulling away. We're going to have to follow him but make sure we keep a good distance so he doesn't notice us."

"Kay," Gene answered, waiting for the car to disappear out of site and then starting the engine.

"Sir," Chris said.

"What?" Sam and Gene said in unison.

"Where'd you think he's gunna drive to?" he asked.

"I dunno, Chris" Sam replied.

"Sir," Chris said again.

"What now, Chris?" Sam asked, frustration in his voice.

"D'ya know what?" he said. "This steak sandwich thing is fun."

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"Why is he stopping here?" asked Sam as the car pulled into a deserted industrial estate. "Guv, stop the car."

"Why?" he asked.

"We're behind a wall, so we're out of sight," Sam answered.

"Fine," Gene said, cutting out the engine.

"Ray, radio in for uniform," Sam requested.

"Right," he replied, picking the radio up from the floor.

"I'll be back in a minute," Gene said, stepping out of the door.

"You can't get out! We have a perfect view of him from where we are now. He thinks he's lost us, so he'll stay in the car and then uniform can corner him, " Sam explained, but Gene was already gone. "Bloody hell. Chris come with me. Ray, Annie, stay here."

"But..." Annie started.

"Please," Sam said, placing his hand on Annie's shoulder and giving her a peck on the cheek. Ray tutted in disgust as the DI disappeared out of sight.

Sam and Chris carefully manouevered across the car park, staying out of sight.

"Damn, he's scarpered," Sam said, noticing the empty car. They ran to check the boot.

"There's definately no one here," Chris said, looking baffled.

"Chris, you go that way and I'll go in the opposite direction. See if you can find anyone." Sam turned and walked away briskly, leaving Chris be. As he rounded a corner, his radio crackled into life. It was Gene.

"Tyler, where are you?"

"I could ask you the same bloody question. I'm still somewhere quite near to the car."

"Look, he's dumped the body. We're too late. He panicked and shot the poor bugger."

"Shit."

"Hang on, there's someone coming. I've gotta go."

"Wait!" Sam shouted, but the radio was dead. He started to pick up his pace again, heading towards the sound of scuffling. He just hoped that Gene hadn't gotten himself into trouble.

Sam halted, glancing into the alley whilst trying to remain unseen. And then he spotted Gene. He was trying to take on a figure in a balaclava. But the other man was too quick for him, dodging Gene's blows and knocking him over.

"Bloody hell," Sam muttered to himself. "Why couldn't you just hide?"

He watched as his DCI fought back, punching the guy in the nose. But his attempts failed. The man just kicked him in the crotch, immobolising him. Sam couldn't take it anymore. He ran towards Gene, getting pushed out of the way by the other man who started to run off.

"Guv, you alright?" Sam questioned.

"Fine," he spat.

"Sure?" Sam asked again.

"Just go get that bastard eh?" he said.

"Chris should be here in a minute," Sam said, helping his friend up.

"Ponce," Gene muttered, as Sam quickly disappeared.

Sam ran as quickly as he possibly could, but he couldn't find the bloke. He stopped to take a breath when he spotted the body of a young officer on the floor. His hair was matted with blood and his face was bruised. He bent down, his radio suddenly bursting into life again.

"Sam, it's Annie."

"Look, stay in the car with Ray. Don't come after us. This guy is dangerous."

"Just...be careful. Okay?"

"I will."

"Promise?"

"I promise." As he said that, Sam could almost hear Annie smile through the phone.

"Where are Chris and the Guv?"

"They should be coming back in a minute. Gene just got a spot of bother, I need to go find who did it to him."

"What do you mean, spot of bother?"

"Nothing it's just..." there was a short pause and then a thump, sending the radio silent.

"Sam?" Annie called, panic rising in her stomach. "Sam!"


End file.
